


The New World

by rosecake



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Hoth, M/M, Post-Canon, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:26:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosecake/pseuds/rosecake
Summary: "I knew the Rebellion was hard up when I defected but I figured they'd at least have central heating," said Bodhi, furiously rubbing his arms in an attempt to generate enough meagre heat to bring feeling back to his limbs. "Did they have to pick the coldest planet they could find?"





	The New World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smaragdbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/gifts).



"I knew the Rebellion was hard up when I defected but I figured they'd at least have central heating," said Bodhi, furiously rubbing his arms in an attempt to generate enough meagre heat to bring feeling back to his limbs. "Did they have to pick the coldest planet they could find?" 

"Beggars can't be choosers," said Galen, not looking up from his datapad. "And I suppose the less hospitable to human life a planet is, the less likely they are to look for us on it." 

Bodhi had wanted someone to vent with him, not a calming voice of reason. But before the feeling could bloom into full-blown irritation Galen was putting his work down and settling down beside on the bed that doubled as their couch during the day. Galen wrapped his arms around Bodhi, pulling him closer so that Bodhi's back was resting against his chest. 

"See? It doesn't have to be that bad," said Galen. 

"It's getting better," said Bodhi, relaxing into Galen's embrace. It was much easier for two people to get warm than one. "I still don't get why you never seem that bothered by the cold." 

"I've lived on cold planets before," said Galen. He let his hands settle in Bodhi's lap, and when Bodhi covered them with his own he realized they were surprisingly warm despite the cold air of their room. "Besides, it's a nice change from the rain." 

"Blizzards aren't a significant improvement over thunderstorms," said Bodhi. "More like a move in the wrong direction, really." 

When he'd worked there Bodhi had thought there was no way he'd ever miss Eadu once he was done with it, but Hoth had forced to him to admit there were places even colder and more miserable than his old workplace. The cold was even enough to make him miss summers on Jedha, despite how miserable he'd found the stifling heat when he was growing up.

That was one of the reasons he'd wanted to be a pilot so badly. Space living came with guaranteed climate control. 

"We won't be here forever," said Galen, softly. "You don't actually have to be here now, if you don't want to be." 

"Galen," said Bodhi, his name slipping out of Bodhi's mouth before he could think of anything better to say. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. 

"I mean it," said Galen. "You don't have to stay here just because I do. It was never my intention to trap you."

An odd choice of words, maybe, when he had his arms wrapped around Bodhi holding him securely in place, but Bodhi had no intention of pointing that out to him. Not when it might prompt Galen to let go. 

"I want to be here," said Bodhi. "Maybe not here as in Hoth, admittedly, but I want to be here. With the Alliance. With you." 

"I've already asked so much of you," said Galen, pressing a kiss to the back of Bodhi's head, ruffling Bodhi's hair just enough to make his scalp tingle. "I don't want you to have to risk anything else." 

If he was trying convince Bodhi to leave he was doing a bad job of it. Right at that moment Bodhi couldn't think of any place he'd rather be than wrapped up in Galen's arms. 

In truth, while Galen wasn't exactly a prisoner, Mon Mothma had very gently but very explicitly made it clear that he wasn't free to leave either. The risk of him falling into enemy hands was too great. And it wasn't as if he was likely to survive very long on his own outside of the Alliance's protection anyway, not with every Imperial in the galaxy falling over each other for the chance to be the one to hunt him down and bring his head back to the Emperor. 

Of course, Bodhi was right below the Erso family and Skywalker on the Empire's most wanted list, so there would have been no reason for him to want to leave Mon Mothma's protection even if Galen hadn't been with him.

He was just as trapped as Galen was, not that Bodhi cared much. He might have had no place else to go and nothing else to do, but he still felt freer in the Alliance than he ever had working for the Empire. 

It was all just a matter of perspective. Or maybe circumstance. He never would have been living in the same room as Galen back on Eadu.

Bodhi twisted around in Galen's arms, trying to be obvious about the fact that he wasn't pulling away. He was only shifting so that instead of sitting with his back against Galen's chest, they were facing each other. He rested his head against Galen's shoulder, close enough that the strands of Galen's hair that had fallen from behind his ear brushed against Bodhi's forehead. Galen had adopted a scruffier look since they'd fallen in with the alliance, letting his hair grow out longer and taking less effort to keep it brushed back. The end result was hard to resist. 

"There's only one thing I have left to risk, and that's you," said Bodhi. He let himself fall backward on the bed, pulling Galen down after him so that Galen was on top of him, spread out over him like a blanket. 

Bodhi wasn't really cold anymore, but he enjoyed the rush of warmth all the same. 

"Bodhi," said Galen, shifting in what seemed like an attempt to avoid crushing Bodhi underneath him. Bodhi held him tighter, though, stopping him. He was in the mood to be crushed. "I love you," said Galen, his voice soft and deep, and Bodhi couldn't bear the thought of never getting to hear to that voice again. 

"I love you too, Galen." Bodhi kissed him then, because Galen's mouth was so close to his and he wanted to. He couldn't stop himself. He'd never really been able to stop himself when it came to Galen. That was how everything had started in the first place - they'd been alone for once, a rarity in the bustle of the Eadu complex, and Galen had been standing just a little too close, and Bodhi hadn't felt like controlling himself. He'd always been impetuous, and it had gotten him into plenty of trouble in his life, trouble bad enough that he was lucky it hadn't gotten him killed. 

He'd always thought of it as a problem, a personality defect, and everyone around him had always treated it as such. If he were calmer, though, more rational and cautious, then maybe he never would have been willing to risk everything on the plea of a desperate man. And then where would he be? 

He only stopped when he needed more air than he could get just breathing in through his nose. It was cold, inhaling deeply after the warmth of Galen's mouth, so cold that he could feel the sting of the chill in his lungs. 

Really, things were going great, but he couldn't help but think they'd be even better once the Rebellion moved on to a different base. 

"But I'll love you more if you build us a better radiator."


End file.
